The rule, announced on Sunday by Guangdong's anti-corruption agency, warns that “if government workers become keen on this 'noble' game, it might bring about bad consequences such as making them detached from the masses or even corrupt."

According to the report, officials will no longer be able to attend golf-related events, play golf with colleagues or obtain a golf club membership.

"What's interesting is that this is happening in Guangdong, the birthplace of golf in modern China and home to more golf courses than anywhere else in the country," wrote Washburn in an email to Golf.com. "While government officials all over the nation have long known that cozying up to golf was something that was frowned upon, things have always been a little more lax the further south you got. Maybe, in China's current political environment, that is beginning to change. Or maybe this is simply a provincial government office trying to curry favor with Beijing, and golf is an easy target."

The new rule's potential impact, he says, will depend on enforcement. Since the 2004 moratorium, for example, more golf courses have been constructed in China than anywhere else in the world.

"Rules can sometimes mean very little [in China]," wrote Washburn. "I think the Chinese government is very good at compartmentalizing its feelings torward golf."

An Interview with Dan Washburn, Author of "The Forbidden Game," on China's Complicated Relationship with Golf

Dan Washburn, managing editor of the Asia Society and author of the new book "The Forbidden Game," tells Jessica Marksbury that golf in China is both banned and booming.